NewzVille Desk
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave(ESTIC) 2026 today at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Addressing the Conclave, the Prime Minister shared his enthusiasm following a lively interaction with startup founders earlier in the day.
He praised the expansive vision and bold determination of the nation’s youth. “The scale at which the youth of India are thinking and the self-confidence with which they are moving forward is encouraging,” remarked Modi.
Recalling his participation in the previous edition of the Conclave, the Prime Minister contrasted past decades,when India merely played catch-up by adopting or modifying foreign innovations years later, with the new mindset of 21st-century India that aims to create original technologies, set global directions, and solve worldwide challenges. Citing how the nation developed indigenous COVID-19 vaccines to inoculate its population and supply other nations, alongside reaching Mars on its maiden attempt and landing on the uncharted lunar South Pole, he outlined a bold technological vision for the country.”India must embrace the technologies of the future, innovate boldly, and lead the world in creating them,” asserted PM Modi.
Highlighting India’s rich heritage of discovery ranging from the invention of Zero and the number system to astronomy, the Prime Minister noted that the country is advancing this scientific legacy with modern technology and renewed confidence, as demonstrated by several milestones over the past year. With the nation set to celebrate the birth anniversary of Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha on October 30, he chose to begin his review of recent breakthroughs with the nuclear sector.”Therefore, let us begin with Nuclear Energy,” remarked Shri Modi.
Emphasizing that building a Viksit Bharat requires massive nuclear energy capacity while reliance on imported nuclear fuel poses a challenge to energy security, the Prime Minister pointed out that the nation is rapidly advancing its Fast Breeder Reactor technology. He highlighted that just a few months ago, the indigenous 500-Megawatt Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor successfully achieved First Criticality. “This has been a major step in the direction of strengthening our Long Term Strengths in the field of Nuclear Energy,” noted PM Modi.
Stating that India’s ambition extends beyond domestic energy security and technological self-reliance to expanding its footprint across critical technologies, the Prime Minister highlighted major space sector achievements this year, including an Indian space startup placing a satellite into orbit on its maiden attempt using a Made-in-India rocket and the country mastering satellite docking capability.
He added that numerous domestic startups are introducing novel space science solutions alongside growing participation from young scientists and entrepreneurs. “Our goal is also to expand our power in Critical Technologies,” asserted Modi.
Describing the sheer breadth of India’s multi-sectoral achievements as unprecedented, the Prime Minister noted that this year the country hosted the AI Impact Summit, launched its own AI Model, and began shipping India-made semiconductor chips to the world. He also pointed out that the nation is actively building battery storage capacity anchored entirely in domestically available raw materials. “The diverse sectors in which India is achieving successes is unprecedented,” observed PM Modi.
Observing that while sectors ranging from nuclear and space to AI and semiconductors have distinct requirements, they collectively signal India’s rising strength and confidence in emerging technologies, the Prime Minister spotlighted the nation’s unique capacity to deliver ‘Solution at Scale’ so that domestic breakthroughs can solve global challenges. Pointing to the success of the Digital Stack and indigenous 5G technology, he emphasized the ongoing drive to build secure, population-scale platforms. “India is moving forward in the direction of developing such Secure Solutions which can reach people on a large scale,” affirmed PM Modi.
